The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-06-02
CURRENT FARM TOPICS.
HoeinE Corn,

SS1s1NAI-N y II hith IoI1So.
Hoeing Corn.
az. j. Re3ding i'll Southern Cultvator)
Corn, properly planted on we'll pre-
pared land, should rarely need the
hoe in the early stages if the
plowing be skillfully DONE While our
personal experience does notapprove the
general practice of planting in the water
furrow Gas advocated by DR.. Jones), we
have found it very helpful in the way of
subsequent cultivation to plant in very
wide deep burrows and covering very
shallow, SO that the plants will be below
the general surface. The first plowing
should be done with al implement that
throws but little dirt to the corn, yet
enough to cover well the stop between
needed) should be done ahead of the
plowing, and the latter should be done
only by consciontiously (?) careful labor
ers. The plowman should be required
to stop and uncover plants, or cover or
pull out weeHs or grass with foot or
hand as he goes. Ho should be i'm
pressed with the idea that the work of
cleaning the young plants must be done
by tho work of his plow, or his hands
and feet-no hoe to follow. It is not q
bad idea to furnish each plowman with a
small short-handled, one-hand hoe, to be
carried with his plow and used as occa
sion may require. 1t will be found that
he will be much moro careful to do good
work with his plnw if he is given to I'M
derstand that careless work will not be
endured and left for the hoes to remedy.
OF course it will often occur that the
land is sufficiently smooth to admit of
thorough work by the plow, except
around trees and stumps; but it will not
pay to go over field, row by row, in
order to clean around such obstacles.
Better make job of it, early in the cu1-
tivatlon, DING from one to another with
out regard to the intervening rows.
1t sometimes pays we'll to 60 over the
corn crop with the hoes about laying by
time, each hand taking two or moro rows
at Il time, and destroy scattering lunches
of grass and cleaning around stumps and
trees. This will depend upon whether
the hands can be spared from the moro
eNacting cotton crop.
"Chopping' Cotton.
(By the Same Writcr)
The characteristic work on cotton
farm during the month of May is cot
ton chopping Among the many ma
chimes that have been invented to do
this work none has yet been very favor
ably received or generally adopted by
farmers. The operation is one-ike
cotton -picking-that seems to demand
an oVer-changing motion AID the excr-
else of an ever-acting judgment which
cannot be materialized into machine
Such machine, however, is probably
within the possibilities Of human inven-
ton. The cotton harvester is an undis-
puted necessity; but it is not 80 clear
that machine for chopping, or merely
''blocking out" cotton-reducing the
continuous row of plants to bunches-is
exactly what is needed. Why SOW the
seed so as to secure n continuous row of
plants, and then at the first operation
proceed to destroy the continuity? On
poor, unfertilizcd land, which requires
that the plants should stand very close
in order to make q maximum crop, such
, a. a.continuous row is perhaps necessary;
, but 1t seems an unnecessary waste of
seed and labor on land which will bear
the stalks 18 inches to two or three feet
apart. Why not plant tho seed on such
land in hills or steps-already chopped?
The writer planted his entire crop two
,, successive years in hills 3x2! feet with
the most satisfactory results. But it is
too late now to discuss the policy of hill
or step p-planting. The crop is nearly all
planted and much of it will soon be
ready ior the first operation.
If the soil has been impacted from the
effect Of one or moro rains after plant
ing, it is Of the first importance to break
tho crust and lot in the light and air.
The condition of the land in this respect,
= and the necessities Of the corn cIop, will
determine whether it will be better to
chop before or after plowing. When
| Al I I'll. l.
= and comparatively free from grass, We
? have often found it better to put the
hoes to work i'll advance of blowing and
Us soon as tho scod-leaf of the plant is
8 fully developed. If this plan is adopted
the work Of chopping out should and
r may - very rapidly done, the aim be-
Q ing to get over the crop i'll week or ten
days or less, 1t does not pay to con-
g sumo the time that would be required to
r thin out to q given number Of plants, or
s to leave each bunch in a perfect condi-
ton. If the crop has boon we'll and
/ smoothly planted and the ground is mel
/ low and free from distinctions, such as
D Clods and stones, hand should go in n
4 kind Of half walk, rarely giving more
T. than stroke for each bunch of plants
left. We have seen export hOe-hands go
a over in this way two acres per hand per
, day, and even moro. Romember, that
t this plan, hoeing, or "blocking out
n ahead Of the plows, requires and assumes
that the cotton should be plowed within
: a few days. Generally the cotton crop
0 needs to be "gone over" with plows or
hoes as rapidly as it was planted. 1t
e sometimes occurs that the whole crop
comes up together, however planted. At
y such q juncture it is moro important to
4 get over quickly than to do the work
(hoe-worlO perfectly. The aim should
4 be to make every stroke Of the hoe do its
o utmost, rarely striking "twice in the
same place, thus getting over the crop